National Basketball Association

Is a Kevin Durant reunion with Warriors likely?

Updated Jul. 5, 2022 7:25 p.m. ET

In the wake of Kevin Durant's request to be traded out of Brooklyn, one very intriguing team has popped up as being among those interested in making a deal: the Golden State Warriors.

And the Warriors certainly have a wealth of assets to put together a suitable offer to the Nets.

Colin Cowherd isn't buying it, however, and he explained why on "The Herd."

How Kevin Durant's trade request impacts NBA

Kevin Durant remains with the Brooklyn Nets after requesting a trade last week. The Golden State Warriors have been mentioned as a possible trade match, but Colin Cowherd breaks down why the idea doesn't work.

"Player empowerment in the NBA sounds great doesn't it?" Cowherd said. "But fans don't really like it. According to television ratings in the NBA, the lowest-rated team this year was Brooklyn. … Second, are we sure it's great for the star players?"

Cowherd said he looked at the last seven or eight instances of big stars changing teams, and he found the results to be underwhelming.

"You know what you find? One title, five disasters, and four-to-five ‘yeah, I thought it would be a lot better,’" he said. … "What you find with mobility is … it's hard to build friendships, you always feel like an outsider … and frankly, it's exhausting. It's a lot of work."

Cowherd conceded that the Warriors would be a good fit for Durant, especially with a "selfless star" in Steph Curry, a "chill wingman who bikes to work, Klay Thompson," and a cerebral coach.

"It's the happiest, most light-hearted culture in the league, fun," he said.

But how likely is a Durant-Warriors reunion? Reporter Ethan Strauss said not to rule it out.

How unlikely is a Kevin Durant-Warriors reunion?

Reporter Ethan Strauss joins Colin Cowherd to talk about the odds of Kevin Durant reuniting with Steph Curry and Draymond.

"I'm not rolling my eyes at the reports [that Durant could join the Warriors], because a lot of people did that in 2016," he said. "It just seemed like it was too decadent for KD to join the Warriors. Just like it is now.

"What's funny about it is, this is the one situation in basketball where it would represent a maximizing of both sides of winning a title, and yet none of us think it will happen," he continued. "Every other situation, we're thinking ‘how do the Lakers, or Nets maximize their chances of winning a title? How does LeBron get a title?’ This is the one situation we look at where we go, this is probably the best path for KD to win another title, it's probably the best path for the Warriors. It always worked when he was on the court with them until he got hurt.

"And yet, it feels like getting re-married to your second wife. It's awkward, it's weird, nobody wants it, it's not good show business. And those factors seem like they outweigh winning a title. As much as we say that's what it's all about."